Because of the term artificial intelligence, it sounds like AI is fake, Donald Trump said during a September 22 United Nations General Assembly address, urging the adoption of the term Super Intelligence instead, imaeil.com reported.
The presidential push escalated on September 29 when Trump signed Executive Order 14434, titled Opening the Age of Super Intelligence.
The order instructs federal agencies to replace references to artificial intelligence with Super Intelligence on official websites, reports, and documents. While the directive does not alter the legal definition of AI, it mandates that the presidential science advisor propose an official federal definition and additional legislative steps within 60 days.
White House Pressure Intensifies With Threat to White House Critics
On October 8, Trump posted a warning on Truth Social regarding corporate terminology compliance.
Major technology companies responded unevenly during their third-quarter earnings reports in October. Tesla CEO Elon Musk used both terms during an October 21 earnings call, stating that the company was not yet utilizing advanced AI or SI in its humanoid robots. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated during his company’s earnings call that his goal is delivering personalized SI to everyone.
Industry Response Splintering Across Silicon Valley Giants
Corporate adoption of the terminology remains fractured among other major firms. Microsoft maintained the term AI in its third-quarter earnings report, but a shareholder letter issued the prior week by CEO Satya Nadella used Super Intelligence eight times, noting that the primary question entering the SI era is how to deliver practical results for businesses and nations.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna combined both terms during his earnings presentation, while Intel leader Lip-Bu Tan attributed ongoing semiconductor supply constraints to unprecedented demand for SI.
Artificial intelligence researchers have expressed skepticism toward the administration’s preference, noting that superintelligence traditionally refers to a hypothetical future intelligence surpassing human capability, and arguing that the new label exaggerates current technical limits. Internationally, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi distanced herself from the push, stating that AI remains the correct term at this stage of development.